


Random Acts of Furniture

by nicefinalbeam (sparkleboom)



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Aiba is a doctor, Hints of Mystery, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Memory Loss, Minor Injuries, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-09-10 21:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8941066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkleboom/pseuds/nicefinalbeam
Summary: After suffering a minor head injury, Nino can't remember if he's forgotten the love of his life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [silverdoll14](http://silverdoll14.livejournal.com/) for the [ninoexchange](http://ninoexchange.livejournal.com/) at LJ.

"Tell me what you smell," Aiba requested, holding the small container near Nino's nostrils. 

Nino closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, nodding once it clicked.

"Cinnamon."

"Yep!" Aiba responded cheerfully, placing the top back on the container and setting it aside with the others.

"Why do we have to go through all this again? I could smell and hear and see perfectly the first time you tested me. It's my memory that's the problem," Nino whined. He shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the hospital bed, trying to get one leg under him.

It had been a few days since the accident that had brought him here, caused by a miscalculation on his part about the strength of a second-hand entertainment center shelf. Unfortunately, he'd been underneath said shelf untangling game system cords when it decided to give way and drop his television on his head. He still wasn't sure what had hurt him more - the blunt force trauma or the lingering sense of betrayal.

Aiba ignored him entirely, clicking boxes and typing things into Nino's medical chart with a smile. 

"Doesn't it worry you?" Nino asked one more time.

"It worries me a little as your friend, but as your doctor I think it's not all that uncommon. You're still healing," Aiba pointed out.

They'd been over it again and again the past few days, ever since Nino had woken up in his hospital bed. How the head injury would affect him in small ways over the course of a few weeks, possibly a few months. How he was lucky it hadn't been more severe. How he shouldn't hold his feelings back because 'emotions needed time to heal the same as wounds' - which had made Nino roll his eyes and had sent Aiba into another friendly lecture.

Despite all the reassurances, Nino still found it odd that he could name every song title on the Chrono Trigger soundtrack, but couldn't put a name to the face he saw each time he closed his eyes for longer than a minute.

"I don't think I should be sent home from the hospital if I've forgotten a person's existence," Nino argued.

"Hmmmm... technically you remembered his existence, you just can't place who he is," Aiba retorted playfully, "But you've passed every cranial nerve exam, and show great signs of improvement in all your scans. I can't find a reason to keep you here. I know you've missed me, but..."

It was true. 

Having Aiba around and not a stranger was something Nino was incredibly thankful for, and maybe part of the reason why he didn't want to be sent back to his empty apartment just yet. How long had it been since they'd fallen out of touch? It had been a natural development with Nino working and Aiba busy with medical school, two different social circles and their own paths ahead, but now they were reunited! Even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances. 

"What if he wanted to surprise me and is at my apartment waiting for me right now? What if I walk in and he's cooking dinner and I have to ask him who he is instead of asking what we're eating? That would be embarrassing," Nino complained.

"There's no way that guy is there. If he's there and he didn't come visit you in the hospital, I'll kick his ass," Aiba answered with a growl.

That was a good point, actually. Nino hadn't really considered the fact that the mystery man from his memory hadn't bothered to show up in person the past few days. Granted, Nino hadn't remembered enough about him to contact him, but wouldn't his supposed boyfriend be worried if they were still dating?

They were probably broken up, then. Damn. 

"Okay, you win. I'll go home. But will you help me figure out who he is? Even if he's not somebody important anymore, it feels weird. Not knowing him," Nino said.

"Of course I will! And you still have to come in for follow up, I'm not abandoning you," Aiba promised, "But I have one condition. If I'm helping you, I want you to be positive about it. If it's all doom and gloom, I'm not interested. Well, not interested beyond professionally anyway. I'm still your doctor."

It wasn't really in Nino's nature to be optimistic about much of anything, but he hated the idea of leaving a gap in his knowledge. He also didn't want to bring any other friends into this, knowing the kind of anxiety it might rouse in them. So, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

"Deal! I bet my amnesia will be cured before you know it. I'll forget all about it," Nino joked, giving Aiba a thumb's up and a nod.

"That's the spirit!" Aiba agreed with an enthusiastic thumbs up of his own.

As Aiba left him to get changed back into his street clothes, Nino took a moment to breathe. Aiba was the expert with this sort of thing, so it was probably best for Nino to trust his judgment. He wished he could get rid of that sinking feeling in his gut that some of the best times of his life had been erased.

"Who are you?" Nino asked quietly, staring at his hand against the bright white sheet of the hospital bed.

 

***

 

_  
A bright white sheet was pinned to the wall at its top corners, waving slightly with the breeze from the air conditioning._

_Interesting. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what to say. Nino had never dated someone with this much of an artistic side before. What if it was some minimalist piece entitled 'Sheets Dry in the City' or something? He would still make fun of it, for sure, but it needed to be approached delicately._

_"Okay, so what am I looking at here?" he asked after a minute or so._

_"Stars, obviously," his boyfriend responded with a smirk._

_Something about that quirk of his lips indicated a bigger picture that Nino was clearly missing. He hummed a note of intrigue as he squinted and moved closer to the fabric. It did look like there was another color there, actually. A really light yellow that showed up so faintly that Nino wondered if it was simply a trick of the light._

_"Now watch!" his boyfriend called out excitedly. Quickly, the apartment was plunged into total darkness. Or at least it would have been if not for the now neon painted galaxy illuminating the room right in front of Nino's eyes._

_"What the hell?" he questioned, but with all fondness. Nino felt the way his smile grew beyond his control, even as he tried to hide it behind his hand._

_"I know. You didn't think I was romantic, but I'm the _most_ romantic," his boyfriend stated proudly._

_Nino laughed loudly as he was pulled into a hug, kisses from the other man tickling at his neck. He'd been teasing his boyfriend a lot lately about not being romantic, but he hadn't expected him to be paying that close of attention. Nino wasn't much better, buying video games as birthday presents like Nino wasn't the one who actually wanted them, or deciding that sex in the shower counted as date night and they didn't have to leave the apartment._

_This was special, and Nino was both surprised and impressed. Stunned into silence, even._

_"We can spend tonight drinking beer and looking at the stars, and then maybe later we can get under them?" his boyfriend finished with a hopeful cadence, catching Nino's eyes with a pointed look._

_"Oh-chan? You've earned it. We can do anything you want," Nino promised._

_Ohno's arms went into the air as he shouted in victory.  
_

 

***

 

Nino had a name for his mystery man now. Not a full name, not even half a name, but a nickname was still better than nothing. It was the first time he'd heard himself address the other as anything other than 'you'. It was an adorable nickname too, for an adorable sort of person. The most recent memory had made Nino feel a bit wobbly-kneed to be perfectly honest.

He was still processing it all as he turned his key in the lock, slowly dragging himself into his genkan and working his way out of his shoes. He froze when he heard a voice call out _Tadaima!_ , his heart beating furiously in his chest.

Nino couldn't bring himself to answer, gripped by an internal panic. This was exactly what he'd been worried about, and yet, he was also more excited than he wanted to admit. He clenched and unclenched his hands as he carefully shuffled his way toward the kitchen, toward an uncertain relationship and all the feelings his broken brain had whipped up in his heart.

Until.

"Nino!" Jun greeted as he appeared suddenly, waving a wooden spoon.

"You scared me!!" Nino accused, though he was more embarrassed than frightened, holding a hand over his chest in alarm. He'd gotten so caught up in thinking he'd been right about mystery man surprising him at home that he hadn't recognized it was his friend's voice calling out to him.

"I'm sorry," Jun apologized, wiping his free hand on his pants. He frowned after a moment, as if realizing something troubling. "Did you not remember you gave me a key?"

"I remember that. I just didn't expect you to be here when I got back," Nino answered, trying to shake off his disappointment.

Not that he was disappointed to see Jun, exactly. Especially if it meant he didn't have to decide where his dinner was coming from tonight. Free food (and friendship) was always welcome in his book.

"I was going to call you, but I thought you might talk me out of it," Jun admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "And I wasn't going to risk you eating junk immediately."

Whatever Jun had been cooking for him instead, it smelled incredible to Nino right now. He was already salivating as his friend lead him to the kitchen table. He waited in comfortable silence for Jun to finish up at the stove.

When a hot plate of curry was placed in front of him, Nino beamed with happiness. If this was what he got for being injured...

"Don't worry me like that again," Jun warned and effectively stopped that train of thought.

It didn't take long for Nino to devour his food, and though he tried to get Jun to stay ("You can do my laundry! You can clean my bathroom! You know you love it!"), his friend had play rehearsal early and couldn't be persuaded.

"Be good," Jun ordered as he prepared to leave. Nino snorted as he watched Jun collect his cooking supplies in addition to his keys and phone. Nino had utensils too! It was like Jun didn't trust him or something, bringing that stuff over.

"I will. I promised Aiba-sensei I wouldn't use medical leave as an excuse to play games all day," Nino informed him with a wicked grin.

"You know, I haven't seen Aiba-chan since we were kids. I was thinking we could invite him to movie night this weekend, what do you think?" Jun asked.

Movie night had been a tradition between himself, Jun, and his other friend Sho for a year or so now. It was a chance for Nino and Jun to torture Sho with horror flicks, then for Sho to get his revenge by making fun of Jun's crying over romance movies. Either way it was a win for Nino, who got to toss in a few of his own favorite films from time to time.

Nino wasn't sure what adding Aiba to the mix would be like, but he wasn't opposed to the idea. Aiba was already willing to do so much for him. It was the least he could do to invite him into his life again properly. 

"Sure, I'll tell him. Do we even know what we're watching?" Nino asked, following Jun to the genkan.

"Sho-kun and I have a truce this time. Something with action," Jun answered.

"Booooo! No fun," Nino objected, pouting as Jun made to open the door.

His mind was still going over that memory, that 'Oh-chan' in his head. If it weren't for the stress it might cause Jun to know he was struggling to recall his dating life, this was normally the thing he'd have asked Jun's advice on. Nino couldn't ask him directly about this mystery man, but maybe he could still pick Jun's brain somehow.

"Before you go! Aiba-chan, uh, reminded me of someone else I lost touch with and I was wondering if you had any good suggestions for tracking a person down?" Nino asked as casually as he could manage.

"They're not in your contacts anymore?" Jun asked in return.

"Oh," Nino replied sheepishly. "You know what? Forget I asked, bye bye!"

Jun was a genius! Nino waved farewell and nudged a protesting Jun out of the apartment. As soon as the door was shut, he pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts frantically, but there was no one labeled as 'Oh-chan' or anything close. 

"Damn it!" he cursed, chucking his phone onto the sofa roughly.

After the disaster with his television, however, a small part of him regretted the action. Nino picked the smart phone up again and gave it a kiss of apology. It wasn't the device's fault. All this meant was that Nino wasn't going to be able to figure this all out in a night. 

He stared at the broken shelf and television still mocking him from the living room and shook his head. He wasn't going to figure out how he was putting his game center back together this evening either. 

Accepting defeat, Nino retrieved his laptop from where it was charging in his bedroom. Maybe if he dived into his online reality, he could forget about everything else for awhile.

 

***

_  
Nino was tempted to turn the kitchen light off, even if it meant moving his numb limbs back into painful awareness. It felt too bright around him, his eyes already feeling the strain of hours spent building tools piece by piece. But his laptop's screen in the darkness probably wouldn't be any better for his growing headache. He was almost stocked up for a trip into the mountain anyway. He could hold out an hour more. Head down to the caves, get a start on establishing a base of operations away from his house in the woods, then go to sleep. It was a good plan. Definitely._

_"What's your sheep count?" Ohno called from the sofa._

_"5," Nino answered reluctantly. He'd had 6 earlier before needing some wool, but Ohno never liked when sheep were sacrificed. "Why's that the only part of Minecraft you care about, seriously."_

_"The sheep are cute," Ohno answered, sounding much closer now. Nino sort of hoped he was here to collect a midnight snack or something, but no such luck. Ohno's arms wrapped around his shoulders soon enough, and his chin pressed down on the top of Nino's head. Mmnf._

_Not that he didn't like when Ohno came to collect him instead, but it was hard to think clearly when that soft voice murmured into his ear._

_"Time's up. Let's cuddle," Ohno requested._

_Nino had always been weak to the straightforward approach._

_"Okay, but let me just... I've got to get to a bed," he stated, starting to turn around and head back. "Otherwise shit goes down and I might lose all I did today."_

_"No, you've got to get to_ our _bed. Because I want you to cuddle me."_

_"Oh-chaaaaaaan," Nino whined, but to no avail. Ohno's weight was pressing down more and more on his body, making it difficult to push the right keys._

_"Cuddleeeeeee meeeeeee," his boyfriend demanded. He was laughing as he tipped Nino's chair back slightly._

_"Stop it, weirdo! I might fall!"_

_"Fall into my arms!"_

_"Shut up!"_

_"It's our bedtime! Let's go!"_

_"Fine!" Nino gave in with a helpless laugh, and closed the laptop for the night._

 

***

 

It was possible that what Nino had seen was the mystery man simply spending the night at his apartment for once, but the way he'd spoken to Nino had felt more like they'd been living together. It seemed like a huge thing to forget, but Nino couldn't trust his mind right now. There was only one person he could trust in these troubling times.

"Aiba-chan, think of it like helping a friend move. We're going to go through all my stuff, we're just not going to pack any of it up when we do," Nino had described over the phone.

He'd gotten a big head start on the project, since Aiba was a busy man who had to save lives and such, but soon they were together in his living room drinking beer and carefully cataloguing all of Nino's possessions. It was an exercise in self-reflection as much as it was a search for answers. For example - why did Nino wear his yellow t-shirt so often when there were plenty of others that were perfectly comfortable and clean in his wardrobe? When was he ever going to use the baseball glove on his living room shelf? (Next month, hopefully, now that Aiba had suggested putting a team together.) How many smurf figurines did one grown man need to hold onto? It was a fascinating study into his habits, but so far that had been about it.

"What about this CD? Do you listen to Ayumi Hamasaki?" Aiba asked, holding it above his head.

"Who doesn't?" Nino answered, passing Aiba another can of beer before asking, "Do you think I care about the art of origami?"

He pointed to a pamphlet he'd found beneath a stack of manga. Maybe his mystery man had been looking into it at some point. He had very nice hands for folding paper, as far as Nino could remember. Maybe he was an origami expert and they could search for him at the next... origami convention.

Aiba gave it a quick glance, then shook his head as he said, "No, but it doesn't seem like a very good clue either."

After a couple hours of this, the places to look were growing thin. He'd been hoping for something more solid than a couple of socks without matches and some old nintendo games he'd rediscovered in a shoebox. If his boyfriend had truly lived here, there was no trace of him left behind. 

"I'm sorry Nino, but I've got to get home. I have work tomorrow," Aiba apologized.

"Nah, it's okay. I should start practicing again anyway. I've got a gig next week," Nino responded as nonchalantly as he could manage. There was no reason to get all upset about a failed endeavor. No one had ever said that the path to the truth was short and easy and entirely without obstacles. And hey! Maybe it was the worst breakup of all time. That was really something to look forward to finding out, huh?

It was quiet when Aiba left, and sort of eerie with all his stuff now scattered and out of place. Deciding he might as well follow through with what he'd told Aiba about practice, Nino sat down at his keyboard and cracked his knuckles, then started in on the first song that came to mind.

 

***

_  
"Sho-chan wouldn't let me steal his phone. He said it's my fault I forgot mine," Ohno greeted him with a pout, sitting down beside him on the piano bench. It was natural for them to press close, thigh to thigh as they sat together with limited space. But then, they did this even on the largest of sofas, and it never failed to make Nino's stomach flutter._

_"So now you're trying to steal my piano?" Nino asked._

_He watched Ohno's fingers twitch on the keys, brushing them too lightly to actually make them sound. Ohno was really the one who should have taken up playing an instrument like this one. Nino had to curl and stretch and practice for hours, and he still sometimes couldn't quite get his hands to do what he needed them to do. Ohno's hands, though, were all grace and elegance. He couldn't imagine them ever struggling to hit a note._

_"It's too big to steal," Ohno remarked, "But you could teach me a song? I'll steal that instead."_

_"Crafty."_

_As Ohno's fingers turned upward to a peace sign, Nino burst into laughter. Fine. He hadn't wanted to come to the office party initially, even with promise of payment, but he had to admit it was providing the perfect romantic atmosphere tonight. Soft lighting, free fancy drinks, Ohno's attention - all things he enjoyed._

_"Let me play through it once," Nino requested, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders, "Then you can have it."_

_It was easy to pick out which song he should perform. He'd written it a long time ago, not for his current company specifically, but it was funny how old words could suit new circumstances so perfectly. Maybe he'd always known someone like Ohno would come along. At least he'd always hoped._

_Nino sang softly about shared umbrellas and lazy mornings, joining hands and enjoying moments meant for the two of them alone. Times he'd doubted, times he treasured, and how bright the future seemed. He struggled with the lyrics each time Ohno playfully reached over to hit a false note and made him laugh, doubled his conviction when Ohno caught his eye._

_"Oh-chan?" he finished, holding the final chord._

_"Yeah, Nino?"_

_"I love you."_

 

***

 

Each new memory provided Nino with unique clues to piece together. Although last night's recollection had caused him to wake up with a deep, almost uncomfortable longing in the early hours of the morning - it was also an important piece of the puzzle with what he'd ultimately learned. His mysterious romantic interest was not entirely without connection to his current world. Oh-chan knew Sho-chan! Hope was restored.

"I don't have any combini shifts or music gigs until next week, so I thought maybe we could have a nice lunch today," Nino explained his unannounced visit to his friend's place of employment. He tried not to look too suspicious as he lifted himself up onto his toes and glanced around.

If he could see over the cubicle walls, he might just be able to spot the man of his dreams for himself and not have to tell Sho anything! It would be better than worrying him into early gray hairs. Sho was the type to get worked up over things like head-injury induced amnesia. 

"And I'm buying, right?" Sho replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? Thanks, Sho-chan! That would be so great," Nino pretended to be surprised by the suggestion, patting his friend's shoulder in thanks.

After annoying Sho with the slowest walk to the elevators ever, at least if Sho was to be believed, Nino still hadn't spotted his mystery man. Maybe he worked on another floor, or didn't work with Sho at all. Maybe he'd come to that office party as Nino's date. 

Time for another approach.

He waited until they were settled at their table and Sho was happily slurping noodles before trying a new tactic.

"Someone left me a card at the hospital and I wasn't able to thank them. They signed it with a big letter O instead of a name, so I'm not really sure who it is," Nino mentioned conversationally. 

"That's too bad," Sho replied. He didn't look up from his bowl at all. So cold! 

"Do you think you could help me figure it out? Anyone coming to mind?" Nino prodded gently.

"That could be any number of people," Sho pointed out, "Besides, any name I could come up with is one you've probably thought of too by now."

He had a good point, but this was still the best idea Nino could come up with on short notice. Sho-chan clearly knew an Oh-chan, and Nino was hoping to pull a familiar name out of him. Familiarly unfamiliar, more like, but still. 

Nino shrugged and responded, "Maybe not. Not everyone I know is kind enough to make that sort of gesture. I didn't see any cards from one of my very best friends, Sakurai Sho."

Pushing the guilt button was playing dirty, but it worked like a charm. Sho paused in his eating to take a sip of his tea, clearly thinking it over. Nino waited impatiently as Sho flipped through his internal contacts.

"Okay, so there's Okada-kun, Ohkura-kun, Ogura-san, and Okamoto-kun," Sho began to list,"Jun-kun's friend Oguri, and then maybe-"

"You know what? Nevermind. I know all these guys already so what's the point," Nino interrupted with a heavy sigh.

"I thought you knowing them _was_ the point" Sho defended himself.

Maybe that was what Nino had asked, but it wasn't what he'd meant. The problem was that he couldn't express what he wanted properly to Sho without sounding insane. Nino needed names starting with the letter O and belonging to someone he would know but had completely forgotten. Someone Sho knew, but didn't know that Nino knew, or maybe did know that Nino knew but didn't know that they were dating before. Or now. Or something. Or if he did know they were dating, didn't know that Nino didn't remember him, and if he did know that Nino didn't know he'd be worried about it.

It was all very confusing.

"I'm sorry. I've been feeling weird lately and I shouldn't have taken it out on you," Nino apologized sincerely. It wasn't Sho's fault that he was so out of sorts, and it had probably been silly to expect he could get any answers this way. Nino was just tired of getting his hopes up only to reach a dead end. Why couldn't he seem to make meaningful connections out of the memories he'd gathered? He was normally far more perceptive than this. Maybe the head injury was impacting more than he thought.

"You've been through a lot lately," Sho forgave him easily, "But if you act like a dick again, I'll pretend to go to the bathroom and leave you here with the bill."

"Not a very good threat, Sho-chan, now that you've given away the plan!"

With a small smile, Nino slid the rest of his noodles in front of his friend. At least one of them could leave feeling fully satisfied today.

 

***

_  
"I'm so full," Nino announced, rubbing his stomach as they stood up from the table. Ohno laughed, and not caring about the fact that people were around them, reached forward to pat it a few times himself._

_"You worked hard today," he told Nino's belly with a giggle._

_If had been anyone else, Nino might have felt a little self-conscious about his lack of muscle definition, but Ohno had never really given the impression he cared about that. Ohno seemed to like every part of him exactly as presented, which was both refreshing and truly frightening in Nino's opinion._

_As usual, they seemed to move at the exact same pace. There was a comfort to heading to the exit together, perfectly side by side, even if Nino wouldn't have objected to a view of Ohno from behind._

_Nino had barely adjusted to the sun in his eyes when he felt the fist land a hit on his upper arm. Damn it._

_"Why do you always do that? I don't want a boyfriend that's so childish," Nino grumbled, massaging the point of impact._

_In spite of his complaint, Nino was actually waiting for the right moment to punch Ohno's arm in return. Ohno had incredible reflexes. You had to catch him off guard. Nino took note of the bubbles floating in the air across the street. Maybe if he navigated them through those and got Ohno distracted, he could even get a grope in before Ohno could stop him._

_"So you think I'm your boyfriend, then?" Ohno asked. The smile on his face looked highly mischievous, like he'd caught Nino in a trap he'd set himself. Maybe he had._

_"So what if you are? I'll still get you back. I'll push you right into traffic," Nino threatened._

_They both knew he would never._

_"One head injury is enough for a couple. Let's not do anything hasty," Ohno said, putting his hands up in surrender._

_"That doesn't count," Nino warned, laughing as he tried to stare Ohno down. "I'm coming for you. Don't test me."_

_"I won't test you," Ohno tried to sound innocent, gesturing for Nino to continue walking on ahead. Nino knew that he couldn't trust such a sweet looking expression outside of the bedroom. All of his friends thought Ohno was a peaceful, sleepy gentleman but Nino knew the truth. Nino knew he was a total monster!_

_He wasn't surprised in the least when he was attacked with tickles before they'd even managed to reach the street corner. Most childish boyfriend in the world._

 

***

 

"I was so sure," Nino spoke softly, defeat evident in his voice. "I was so sure that it was here. I remember that dog groomer across the street. They were blowing bubbles into the street for a promotion. The purple noren on the shop over there... I remember that too, so why?"

Aiba stepped up to one of the small windows, then pressed his forehead to the glass as he tried to peek inside. Nino doubted his friend would be able to see much with the boards blocking his view, and what would be the point of looking around anyway if he could? There was nothing here anymore. No colorful menus detailing the deliciously cheap food, no flyers for the daily specials, and certainly no promise of any long-lost love hidden inside.

"This doesn't mean you were wrong, Nino. Maybe it was here before!" Aiba suggested.

It was possible. It was possible that the restaurant of his memory was as distant as the person he was searching for now. 

"Let's give up," Nino suggested. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. What was he even putting himself through this for, really? At the end of all of this he might find out that it was better to have forgotten. 

"Hey! You promised me you'd be optimistic," Aiba reminded with a nudge of his elbow against Nino's side.

Nino wasn't sure how he was supposed to take any of this as a positive sign, but Aiba was right. He'd agreed to the condition of having some hope, so Nino had to look at this as a setback only. Maybe he'd missed something in the memory. Maybe there had been something hidden between the lines.

Little pushes and shoves, smiling at each other, Nino's playful threat...

Wait.

"Something doesn't make sense," Nino realized aloud, rubbing the back of his neck in distress. 

Nino had latched on to the restaurant he'd seen in his memory and thus had failed to recognize the glaring error that had appeared this time around. When his mystery man had been teasing him, he'd joked about Nino's head injury specifically - something he couldn't have possibly known about before it even happened. 

He could hear Aiba trying to get his attention, addressing him with a voice full of concern, but things felt too overwhelming where he stood. There was a thundering in his ears, an embarrassment building deep within himself that he couldn't face right now. Without considering what he was doing, Nino broke out into a run, ready to get as far away from everything as he could. If he just kept moving, blocked out everything but the sounds of the city, then maybe he wouldn't do something as ridiculous as start to cry.

He kept running until he lost the ability to catch his breath, slowing to a stumbling walk. 

 

***

_  
Nino stumbled out onto the veranda, stretched his arms high over his head, and lifted himself up onto his toes. He breathed in the fresh air, then settled back on his heels with a happy sigh. While he prided himself on being someone who could survive 72 hours alone in a dark room doing little more than drinking tea and playing games, it was only healthy to take a five minute breather sometimes._

_He liked the sun in small doses. He liked it even more when he had his present company._

_"Everybody was making fun of Aiba-chan, but I didn't know his best friend loved him either. When they kissed at the end it was like... what," Ohno admitted with a snort of laughter as he closed the door behind them._

_"The whole movie was leading up to that! You guys don't pay attention."_

_To be fair, he'd had a hard time paying attention this time around too. Ohno had worn some new cologne that had smelled like Nino's new favorite smell, which had caused him to spend more time nuzzling his boyfriend's neck than watching what was on the screen. Sho had called them gross, but it had been worth it._

_Nino smiled as he felt Ohno's arms wrap around him from behind. It was cheesy, maybe, but he liked the idea that this way they got to look in the same direction. Nino and Ohno, facing the world, the forgotten pair of boxers Nino had hung up to dry flapping in the breeze beside them._

_"What if I picked you up and tossed you over the ledge?" Ohno asked with a chuckle, squeezing him around the middle as if he might._

_"Then you'd be a murderer, Oh-chan," Nino answered without hesitation, "And I'd have no choice but to say goodbye."_

 

***

 

"Are you going to explain why you ran away yesterday and wouldn't answer your calls?" Aiba asked as he entered the examining room.

"Yes," Nino answered with a nod, "And I'll tell you I'm sorry too."

In hindsight it hadn't been the best way to deal with his emotions. The sudden understanding that something was amiss, that he could be remembering wrong, had scared him more than the idea that he'd forgotten someone. When it had seemed like everything would come back to him eventually, Nino had believed everything was normal. Aiba had even told him it was normal! Knowing his mind had played a trick on him was harder to take.

"I have some good news and some bad news," Nino continued, holding out a cup of coffee as a peace offering.

Aiba looked appropriately wary of the gift, though that might have just been the look every doctor had after a long shift. Nino wasn't even entirely sure you could bring a doctor a bribe of coffee from outside the hospital, but he'd decided it was worth the risk. After all, he'd been putting all of his friend's free time to use on this mystery man thing and now? Now he felt pretty damn guilty.

"No coffee, thanks. As soon as I get home I'm going to bed," Aiba informed him with a sleepy stretch.

"You're a good friend," Nino told him, and genuinely meant it.

Aiba waved off the compliment, but Nino could tell he was pleased. His smile reached his eyes.

"The good news is that, thanks to your amazing doctorly powers, I believe I am now completely healed," Nino announced, setting down the coffee to clap.

"I think that's for me to decide," Aiba reminded.

"Sure, but really I'm fine," Nino promised, slapping himself on the top of his head and then shrugging his shoulders. "See? Felt nothing. And!"

"And you remembered the mystery man? Finally?" Aiba finished excitedly, clearly expecting Nino to jump into all the juicy details.

"Well, about that. That's the bad news," Nino explained, rubbing the bridge of his nose before continuing, "I might have gotten a little confused about the difference between memories and daydreaming. And night dreaming. And making things up that aren't real."

"What? Nino..."

"I'm sorry that I dragged you into all of this, " Nino apologized, "It's just that up until now all of those moments seemed so real and possible, you know? Not like it was from my imagination. But then last night I had another one of those memories and it was obvious that it couldn't have happened before."

Aiba looked skeptical, which Nino could understand. Nino had been adamant about this missing person since the accident. To change his tune suddenly was unexpected, but it was the only logical thing to do. Last night had made that crystal clear.

"He talked about you and movie night, something you've never been to, so it all kind of clicked for me then. That it hasn't been real," Nino finished explaining, "I hope we can just move on from it now."

"I don't know, Nino. Maybe it was a dream last night, but that doesn't mean every other time was a dream. Maybe you're still trying to work through all those memories and they're leaking into dreams now. Brains are funny that way," Aiba said, as supportive as always.

Nino sighed and shook his head. While he would have loved to believe that was true, to keep searching for his mystery man, it just didn't add up anymore.

"When I ran away it was because I knew deep down I'd made a mistake. In my memory he'd mentioned my injury. He teased me about it, at least I'm pretty sure. He couldn't have known that. I think the only reason this happened is because-"

Nino couldn't finish his thought aloud. It would be too sad to confess that deep down he had been lonely. His friends were busy people, and Nino was busy himself - he had two jobs to work when he wasn't missing a week due to random acts of furniture. Having those memories of a loving boyfriend, even if it was in the past, it felt like he'd actually managed to form a deep connection with someone this time. Someone cared about him enough to push back when Nino's mind tried to push him out.

But at least now he knew that those busy friends of his would be there for him when he needed them. Sho, Jun, and especially Aiba. He'd promised Aiba that he wouldn't be doom and gloom about mystery man, so he wouldn't. Even if this was the outcome.

"Are you going to be okay?" Aiba asked in concern.

To his relief, Nino didn't have to force the laugh that followed. 

"You tell me, Aiba-sensei! What the heck do you think I'm even here for? C'mon!" he joked. 

When Aiba laughed in return, Nino felt himself relax. 

All that stuff about the mystery man, it would now be in the past. For the first time this week, Nino was happy to leave it behind him.

 

***

Nino had already claimed his spot for movie night, curled up in Jun's armchair with his DS in his hands and a can of beer perched between his legs. He figured he could get through a few more levels before Sho arrived, since the man was running uncharacteristically behind schedule. 

"You don't want to know the type of stuff I've seen in x-rays," Aiba conversed with Jun on the sofa, "It puts a new perspective on losing your keys. People are seriously amazing."

"I'm not even shocked," Jun responded with a shake of his head, then excused himself when a knock sounded at the apartment door. 

Curious about why Sho of all people would be running late, Nino did his best to divide his attention between his game playing and his friends' conversation.

"I know it's usually just the three of us, but since you had Aiba-san coming tonight, I'm hoping you won't mind that I brought a guest of my own," Sho said.

"Well I'm not going to turn him away now that he's already here," Jun responded with a chuckle. Nino snorted at Jun's way of wording his welcome. 

"Thanks! He's super into Bruce Lee, so when he heard me say I was watching _Enter the Dragon_ tonight, he begged me to come along," Sho explained further. 

"Shut up, Sho-chan! I didn't beg," Sho's guest disagreed. 

Nino could hear them both laughing in the genkan and sat up a little. Was that a rustle of some takeout bags he heard as well? A new friend _and_ snacks meant Sho was more than forgiven for holding them up. Nino had a feeling this would be an even better movie night than he'd anticipated.

"Come on in and meet everybody," Jun said as they all stepped into the living room. 

Nino knew the way Jun was clearing his throat was meant to get his attention, but he was nearing the end of his current level and he'd look up when he was done. He quickly raised one hand as a sign that he was aware of his surroundings, at least.

"So, everyone, this is my friend Satoshi-kun," Sho announced.

"Ohno Satoshi," Sho's guest said after.

That was all he needed to say.

In any other place, at any other time, with any other person, Nino might have kept his eyes down or mumbled a greeting until he could introduce himself properly. But there was no mistaking the voice he'd just heard, and with one glance up, Nino's body felt out of his control.

He leapt from the armchair without thinking, watching helplessly as his beer can went tumbling to the floor.

"Nino, what the hell?" Jun asked, sounding simultaneously annoyed and worried. 

He wanted to apologize to Jun, or say hello to Ohno, or both, but the only thing he seemed capable of doing right now was completely freaking out.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" Nino declared in a nervous panic. It was the only excuse he could come up with for leaving in a hurry. In his frazzled state he didn't even care what it looked like as he grabbed hold of Aiba's wrist and dragged his friend to the bathroom with him.

"What is going _on_ with you?" Aiba asked as soon as they were alone. 

"It's him," Nino whispered, as if somehow they'd still be heard. Hell, if he'd witnessed that just now, he'd have probably followed behind to eavesdrop outside the bathroom door. 

"Who him?" Aiba asked, frowning as he realized how that sounded. "I mean who is it, Nino?"

Having to answer this now made Nino question himself once more. Was it just wishful thinking on his part? No. He'd seen that face too many times to be wrong.

"It's Oh-chan."

" _Oh-chan_?" Aiba repeated loudly in shock, " _The_ Oh-chan? The Oh-chan that you thought you made up?"

"It's him," Nino said again with a frantic nod. "I'm sure of it. It's him."

Nino now had proof that his Oh-chan wasn't a mere figment of his imagination. He wasn't some man he'd dreamed up just for the sake of finding love. He was Ohno Satoshi, a friend of Sho's, and he was standing in the other room.

"So you know him? Or you don't know him? I'm really confused," Aiba admitted with a chuckle.

"I know it's him, but this is my first time meeting him," Nino clarified, though he knew that sounded strange.

But what if all those times he'd been seeing himself with Oh-chan, he'd not been seeing a past relationship he'd accidentally forgotten. What if he was seeing something ahead of him. What if...

"I think I saw the future."

"You know what I think? I think you need to stop standing around in here with me and go meet your one true love," Aiba responded with a wide grin. Nino flinched as his friend gave him a smack on the butt before opening the bathroom door. He was glad he wasn't being told he was crazy, but still.

"I don't know what to do!" Nino hissed in protest.

Would his heart ever slow the hell down?

"You're going to be your charming self, and everything will be fine," Aiba advised him with a strong nod. "Nothing to be worried about, right? Sounds like you saw it all work out in the end."

Nino hadn't really thought about it that way, but now that Aiba mentioned it, that was very true. He smiled and nodded back. Okay. Okay! So maybe he could do this after all.

"And hey Nino?" Aiba added just before Nino was ready to step out and face his fate.

"Yeah?" Nino replied.

"I know I said you were doing better, but I think you should come in on Monday. Just in case."


End file.
